Getting to VCU (DC to Richmond)-is this stupid?

[Ragzpie]

For those of you who drove to your VCU interview, how bad was the traffic/parking?

I was thinking of leaving from Falls Church, VA (right on 395, south of the city) at 6 am for a 10 am interview. Am I insane?

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[OZ2003]

A couple of things, from what I understand from the feedback, plan to get there at least around 9 AM in order to park, walk/find the building, and then trek to find your interviewer in a separate building. I will be driving down from DC tonight for my interview tomorrow just because I have a friend there who lives close to campus that I can stay with. If I had to drive in the morning I would consider the fact that I would be heading against traffic for a while going down 95 away from DC, but the closer you get to Richmond, the heavier traffic will be. Are there HOV restrictions on 95 inside the Richmond beltway? One good thing is that it is interstate most of the way. Bottomline, I think it is do-able in 3 hours, in NORMAL rush hour traffic (you are taking a risk though because there may be an accident or overturned truck etc). I would not leave any later than 6:00 on the dot.

 

[abbeacon]

I agree.. you should be fine leaving at 6am, although the stretch of I-95 from Quantico south can be frustrating at times b/c of increased truck traffic. Can you stay with a student the night before? This will make your life much easier! A friend of mine is a second year down there, and driving 15 mins to campus eliminated the stress of being late/missing the interview.

As far as HOV goes, the only HOV lanes are just south of the DC beltway--there are no HOV lanes around Richmond itself, but traffic generally isn't too bad around the city.

abbeacon

 

[Amy B]

Is there anyway you can stay the night in Richmond? I have driven D.C. to Richmond more times than I would like and the traffic is sooooooo unpredictable. it has taken 2 hours to as much as 5 hours. I would suggest leaving much earlier or staying the night. As to Richmond traffic, it gets backed up from 295/95 exit till well after MCV. I have sat many a mornings on that stretch of road, although it does move, unlike D.C. most of the time.

The parking garage behind the hospital is your best bet. It is for visitors of the hospital, but most people do park there. Tell them you are visiting someone if they ask. Lock your doors and don't leave anythin in plain site in the garage. I have seen a number of people breaking into cars in there. And ground floor is the eighth floor in the elevator. You can cut through the hospital to get to Sanger Hall, or walk around the hospital on the outside but it is much longer. Parking can be rough though to find a spot, but since you are going early you should be fine. It costs to park in the garage.

 

[Ragzpie]

Thanks everyone....I guess it does make the most sense to stay over...I think my head would explode if I was stopped in traffic right before my interview was supposed to start.

M

 

[Jonathanamine]

does anyone know when VCU stops interviewing?
thanks

 

[Amy B]

Based on previous years, end of April. My friend interviewed the third week of April 2 years ago, and was accepted 2 weeks later.

That said they ususally have their class full by end of March. Interviewing only when people give up spots. This is straight from the dean's mouth.

 

[JohnHolmes]

Originally posted by Mythili
For those of you who drove to your VCU interview, how bad was the traffic/parking?

I was thinking of leaving from Falls Church, VA (right on 395, south of the city) at 6 am for a 10 am interview. Am I insane?

Getting to Sanger Hall shouldn't be that much of a problem. I live in Richmond, and the traffic around the city has never been bad. I'd be worried A LOT more about the DC traffic. Traffic between DC and Richmond is never an issue from the Richmond end of the equation.

Driving in the city can be weird if you aren't used to driving on a city grid. Just realize how the streets work. Cary and Main are almost the same street, but run in opposite directions. The street numbers appear and get higher as you get farther downtown. These are perpendicular to Cary and Main, and Sanger Hall is visible right off Broad St (runs parallel to Main and Cary). Notice main and cary are both one way antiparallel to each other.

Coops